English Premier League not all that says ex-West Ham, Blackburn skipper Neill

Lucas Neill believes that not all Australian footballers have to focus on eventually playing in the English Premier League.

Lucas Neill believes that not all Australian footballers have to focus on eventually playing in the English Premier League.

The Australian national team captain recently signed with UAE outfit Al Jazira after a long career in England and Turkey and now feels that as long as Aussie players are playing regularly, it doesn’t matter where they are in the world.

"We're always going to have three or four (in the EPL), but it doesn't matter where players play in the world, as long as they're playing and playing well and playing regularly," he said.

"If you can do it in arguably the best league in the world, brilliant. If not, any league you play is a competitive league because the gap's so small now."

A loan spell with Everton ensued and then a short stint in Turkey with Galatasaray and Neill says experiencing various leagues and divisions helps the development of a player embarking on national team duty.

"Having experience from other leagues possibly puts you in just as good a position going to international games," he said.